How To Spiritually Grow
Unending help is offered. God never exhausts at bringing aid. He offers help freely along with a robust community full of people born of the same Spirit. Your beginning is a gift of grace. Your growth is continued evidence of grace.
His help isn’t limited to general aid for humanity salvation’s free gift, but includes areas of personal growth for your life. This God is present in your growing. God in your process. God causing the growth. He grows His body, the church. He grows the seed of the gospel toward a fruitful life. He grows your confidence. Even now the same word of God in Acts 12:24 is multiplying in the realms of men and women.
But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. Acts 12:24
How can we then aid in the growing?
RESOLVE TO GROW
1 Peter 2:1-3 So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.
Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation. Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!
It’s like apps on your phone taking up unnecessary space, delete them. Choice is powerful. Download resources, meet with people, attend meetings to stretch your faith comfort zone. Try on the truth. When the word says pray for the sick, JUST DO IT. Attempt much for the glory and name of God.
IMITATE AND GET WITH GOOD PEOPLE
1 Cor. 11:1-2 Imitate me as I imitate Christ. I praise you for always thinking about me and for carefully following the traditions that I handed down to you.
Following a model or blueprint when building is foundational. Do the same with your spiritual growth. Read more on the model concept. Leaders encourage, notice the writer of Corinthians both gives instruction and encouragement.
In Hebrews the author encourages us to continue to gather together. This can be tough in a culture where work, leisure preferences, and life choices lead us toward an independent faith. Avoid it like a cat avoids water. Avoid it like a vegan does dairy. Get around good people. Hike with someone of faith. Reach out and ask for mentorship. Attend a church, a worship gathering, or a prayer meeting; yes even a lecture counts. Sign up and go to a retreat. Stretch your horizon and travel where Christians do life differently.
EXAMINE YOURSELF
2 Cor. 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
One of the habits of Jonathan Edwards were his resolutions.
Resolution 25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.
56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
Refrences
(2 Thes. 2:16-17) May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, 17 put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.
Colossians 2:19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards
